Hey, Check Out Those Cans!

People seriously love their cola cans. Yet Coca-Cola and Pepsi are always tinkering with their packaging. The two regularly funnel marketing dollars into limited-run editions, and occasionally spend eye-popping sums on overhauling their brands. Beverage consultant Jorge Olson says they’re lucky to be able to play with its packaging this way: “It’s a luxury because it is expensive to change cans. . . . It’s almost impossible for anyone else.” So why risk messing up a good thing? “Those brands need to do it to keep fresh because there’s such clutter at the shelf,” says Allen Adamson, managing director at branding firm Landor.